Is It Worth It?
by Katriona
Summary: Kindof an alternate Season 4, set years later. Overwhelmed by demonic attacks, her sister dating the Source, raising three kids in a magical environment, and her marital problems, Piper questions whether being a witch is worth it after all. *COMPLETED*
1. Default Chapter

Is It Worth It?  
  
Summary: Kindof an alternate ending to season 4, set years later. Cole is still the Source, and Phoebe is still balancing being with him and being a Charmed One. Paige is still... there. Piper and Leo are fighting a lot. They've got three kids: two sons, Peter and Tyler, and a daughter, Camille. Overwhelmed by demonic attacks, her sister dating the Source, raising three kids in a magical environment, and her marital problems, Piper questions whether being a witch is worth it after all.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any familiar characters. Come to think of it, I'm too broke to get copyrights on the unfamiliar ones, so for all I know, someone with money and ties to the show could own them by now, too....  
  
A/N: Please review!  
  
****************  
  
"Can you even hear me?" Piper demanded of her husband, Leo.  
  
"Of course I can hear you," Leo snapped back, "You won't stop yelling at me."  
  
Piper bit her lip, trying not to cry. "Leo, you're the one yelling," she said quietly, fighting to keep her voice even, "Now stop it, before the kids hear you."  
  
"Fine," he said angrily, "You want me to stop? I'll stop." He orbed out. Piper sat down on the bed, unable to stop the tears from falling down her cheek. It seemed like all they did lately was fight. Usually it was about stupid things, and blew over quickly, but sometimes...  
  
The problem was, they were both so busy. Piper was taking care of the kids, and vanquishing demons, and running the club, and Leo was orbing out to God-knows-where to do God-knows-what at all hours of the day and night.  
  
"Mommy?" a small, quiet voice called from the doorway. A little girl, about three years old, ran over to Piper. "Mommy, what's wrong?"  
  
Piper dried her eyes, and pulled the little girl onto her lap. "Nothing, Camille, nothing's wrong."  
  
"Then why are you crying?" Camille asked, looking at her mother with wide, brown eyes that were so much like Piper's own.  
  
Piper smiled and did her best to reassure her daughter. "No reason, honey. Where are your brothers?" she asked, changing the subject.  
  
"They're playing outside with Aunt Phoebe." Camille said softly. "I was in my room playing dress-up with Aunt Paige, but then the phone rang and she had to go pick it up."  
  
Piper sighed. Had the fight with Leo gotten that bad, that she hadn't even heard the phone ring?  
  
"Hey, why don't we go find the boys and go for ice cream?" Piper suggested. She needed a distraction, and this particular one would also get Camille's mind off of whatever she may have heard before Leo left.  
  
The toddler smiled and shook her head vigourisly. Piper got up and carried her out.   
  
"Hey, there you are." Paige said, stopping them in the hall.  
  
"We're going for ice cream," Piper told her. "Want to come?"  
  
Paige shook her head. "Maybe next time. Aunt Paige has to go to work." Paige was a social worker for South Bay. She loved the job, and she was good at it. Best of all, she had a flexible schedule. "I'll finish playing dress-up with you later, though, okay?" she told her neice.  
  
"Okay." the toddler answered.  
  
Paige smiled. Camille was such a sweet, agreeable little girl.  
  
"See you later," Piper said, and took Camille outside, where Phoebe was watching two boys, ages five and six, play tag.  
  
Piper put her squirming toddler down, and the little girl ran over to her brothers.  
  
"Peter!" Piper called to the oldest. "Get Cammie and Tyler into the car, please."  
  
Phoebe, noticing the strange, sad look in her sister's eyes, went over to Piper and put an arm around her.  
  
"Leo and I had another fight." Piper told her, without taking her eyes off the kids.  
  
Phoebe nodded. She'd figured as much. "About what?"  
  
"Oh, the usual. The fact that he's never here, he's always too busy to play with the kids, or to talk to me, or to..." Piper's voice trailed off, as she chocked back a sob.  
  
Phoebe rubbed Piper's back. She kissed Piper's cheeck, then put her head on her sister's shoulder comfortingly. "Do you want to talk about it? I could get the kids inside, set them up with a Disney movie or something, and then we could go into the kitchen and-"  
  
"No." Piper shook her head. "Thanks, but.. I just need a diversion right now. I'm taking the kids for ice cream."  
  
"Okay." Phoebe said. She turned to go back inside. Piper walked over to the car. She checked to make sure all three of her children were safely buckled in, then got behind the wheel and, hands shaking, drove off. 


	2. 

When Piper and the kids got back, she was feeling a little bit better. The kids had certainly enjoyed their outing; they all had chocolat ice cream smeared on their faces.  
  
"OK, all of you, run upstairs and I'll get you cleaned... off..." her voice broke off when they got inside and saw Phoebe and Paige doing battle with a demon. "Go, now." Piper said to them, but it was too late. The demon had spotted them running to the stairs, and shimmered in between Piper and her children, cornering the three young kids.  
  
Quickly, Peter grabbed his younger brother's and sister's hands, and orbed them away. Under his Aunt Paige's careful teaching, he'd become quite good at it, and Tyler wasn't half bad, either. They reappeared in the boys' room, where Piper and Leo had instructed them to go during demonic attacks.  
  
Piper put her hand to her chest, almost collapsing with relief. Her heart was racing, that had been too close a call.  
  
The demon whirled around and started on her. "Who the hell are you?" she asked it, clearly pissed off.  
  
"That's Merex," Paige called, "Book of Shadows, to your left!"  
  
Piper froze Merex, and then looked down on the table left of her. Just as Paige had said, the Book of Shadows was there, open to the page with this demon's name and picture. "So, you like to pick on little children using stories," she said after reading the short description of him. "Stupid son of a bitch, don't these demons know by now that my kids can orb?"  
  
"Piper, we've got the spell." Phoebe called.  
  
Piper ran over to her sisters. She looked at the spell, then unfroze the demon and started chanting along with them.  
  
"You prey on those small and unable  
To defend themselves against your fable  
Because of all your wicked lies  
No one will hear your anguished cries!"  
  
Merex's face contorted in pain. He exploded, and the ashed disappeared.  
  
"I am so sick of this." Piper muttered, hurrying upstairs to check on Camille and the boys.  
  
Phoebe and Paige looked at each other, both of them worried about their sister. "She'll be okay, won't she?" Paige asked. "I mean, she wouldn't... quit... or anything, right?"  
  
Phoebe pulled Paige close, trying to comfort her sister and herself at the same time. "I don't know." she answered slowly. "I hope she'll be all right. I mean, she will. She's strong, she's just going through a rough time right now."  
  
Paige bit her lip. She wanted to believe Phoebe more than anything, but she couldn't help worrying about her big sister.  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
"Peter? Ty, Cammie?" Piper called. She found them curled up on Peter's bed, hugging each other. She sat down and put her arms around all three of them. "Hey, it's okay. He's gone now." She gave each of them a kiss, then pulled Peter onto her lap. "I am so proud of you for getting your little brother and sister out of there." she told him. "Now come on," she said, noticing they were still sticky from the ice cream, "let's finally get you three clean." 


	3. 

****************  
A/N: I'm sorry, I know this chapter's pure fluff. I swear the whole fic won't be like this. Don't worry, the real action starts within the next few chapters. Remember - the more you review, the faster I'll write!  
Oh, one more thing: For those of you who haven't guessed it already, this fic was inspired by the song 'The Taste of Ink' by The Used. ::hugs the radio::  
****************  
  
Piper lay in bed, exhausted but unable to sleep. She'd put the kids to bed a few hours ago, and then, out of things to distract her from her latest argument with Leo and the fact that he hadn't come back afterwords, she went back to her room and cried. When she finished she felt a bit better, despite her eyes being red and her face being splotchy, but she was still quite upset.  
  
Leo orbed in. Piper lay still, giving no sign that she was awake. Thinking his wife was sleeping, Leo crawled gently into bed and lay down next to her, softly planting a kiss on her cheek.  
  
"Why didn't you come back?" she asked, startling him.  
  
"Baby, I'm so sorry." he said, stroking her hair. She moved closer to him, and he held her, kissing her cheek.   
  
"I know you are," she said, "but lately it seems like all we do is fight about the same things over and over. I'm tired of it, and I've felt it for a while now."  
  
"Are- Are you saying you want a divorce?" Leo asked, swallowing hard.  
  
"No. I just.. I don't know." She willed herself not to cry. "I wasn't sure if you would come back."  
  
"Of course I came back. I love you, Piper you know that." he said, surprised she'd even for a second thought otherwise.  
  
"I know," she said quietly. She moved closer to him, and he held her until they fell asleep. 


	4. 

****************  
A/N: I know, I haven't updated this fic in a while. I update based on how much response I get, and since this hasn't gotten much feedback, it went right to the bottom of my to-do list. I'm only writing this now because some awesome person left an extra review asking me to. Remember, people, if you want more of any of my fics, you have to let me know.  
****************  
  
When Piper awoke the next morning and saw Leo asleep next to her, she was filled with a mixture of relief and sadness. Relief because he wasn't with someone else, the Elders or one of his charges, like he usually was. Sadness because she realised, not for the first time, that she really didn't know him anymore.  
  
She got up, and tiptoed down the hall to her children's bedrooms. She went into the boys' room first. Peter and Tyler were both still asleep. She gently placed a kiss on each of their cheeks, then padded next door.  
  
She slipped into Camille's room and sat down at the edge of the bed. The little girl was fast asleep, like her big brothers. Piper smiled. Of all her children, little Cammie was the most precocious. Asleep, Piper's baby girl looked truly cherubic.  
  
As Piper watched her, Camille stirred only once, to put her thumb in her mouth. The toddler fell immediately back into a deep sleep, and barely moved again the whole time her mother was there.  
  
Finally, Piper kissed her only daughter and left the room, only to be startled to find Leo standing just outside the door.  
  
"What are you doing?" she asked, quietly so as not to wake the kids.  
  
"Looking at you." he answered. "Is she always this peaceful when she sleeps?"  
  
Piper nodded. "She's always been such an angel. Must be the Whitelighter in her."  
  
Leo sighed. "I feel like I've missed so much."  
  
"You've been working." Piper replied.  
  
"I should have been here." Leo said regretfully. "With you, with them."  
  
"Then why weren't you?"  
  
"I didn't have a choice!"  
  
"The hell you didn't." Piper countered through gritted teeth. Glancing at Camille, Peter, and Tyler through their open doors, she pushed Leo back into their own bedroom.  
  
"Damn it, Piper." he said. "Don't you think I would have been here if I could?"  
  
"Honestly, Leo, I don't know." she replied, tears burning her eyes. "There have been times, during the past six years, that all I wanted was to have your here. I have felt so alone, because you were never there. So after that, how the hell am I supposed to know what you would or wouldn't do?"  
  
Her words hurt them both. Leo looked away.  
  
He knew he should talk to her, try to work through this. The truth was, he didn't know how. So instead, he resorted to the one thing that had almost become natural. "Just for the record," he said before he left, "I wanted to be here."  
  
A sob escaped Piper's throat as he orbed out. Taking a deep breath, she went downstairs to the kitchen, to cry over a cup of coffee.  
  
Paige found her there, half an hour later.  
  
"Oh, honey, did he leave again?" she asked, putting her arms around her sister.  
  
Piper nodded, burying her face in Paige's robe. "I hate this. We're always fighting when he's here, and when he's not, I never know when or if he's coming back."  
  
Paige shook her head, not knowing what to say. She didn't have to look for the right words for long, however, because just then, a warlock popped in.  
  
"Phoebe!" Paige called.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" Piper demanded at the same time.  
  
The warlock popped out again, and blinked in behind her. "I'm your worst nightmare," he whispered in her ear. He blinked out again.  
  
Peter, Ty, and Cammie appeared in the doorway, yawning. "What's going on, Mommy?" Tyler asked.  
  
"Stay back, baby." Piper warned. She looked around. The warlock appeared to be gone for good this time, but some instinct told her he wasn't. "All of you, get back."  
  
But her warning came too late. Before her children had a chance to run, the warlock came up behind them, grabbed them all, and blinked out. 


	5. 

Piper was shaking with fear and rage. Paige gently led her over to the table to sit down.  
  
"How could this happen?" Piper cried. "We've always been so careful. They were supposed to orb upstairs when we were attacked."  
  
"I know, honey." Paige said soothingly.  
  
"Where are they?" Piper asked through a torrent of tears. "What is he doing to them?"  
  
"We'll find them." Paige said firmly. "And if one hair on those sweet little heads is out of place, I will personally kick his ass from here to the Underworld. But we aren't going to help them by sitting around here, so why don't you go up to the Book of Shadows, while I talk to our sister?"  
  
Piper nodded, grabbing a tissue off the counter, and went upstairs. Phoebe came out from the doorway, where she'd been since the beginning of Paige's declaration.  
  
"What happened?" she asked, seeing her older sister's tear-stained face.  
  
Paige waited until Piper was out of earshot. "A warlock took the kids."  
  
"Oh my God." Phoebe murmured. "Where?"  
  
"That's what I sent Piper to find out," Paige replied. "I think we need to call Leo. I don't want to upset Piper any more than she obviously is, but they're his kids, too. He needs to be here."  
  
Phoebe nodded. "Leo! Leo, get down here, damnit!"  
  
He orbed in, looking confused. "Phoebe, what's wrong? Paige? Why do you both look so worried?"  
  
"Maybe you'd better sit down." Paige suggested.  
  
Leo sunk into a chair, and Paige explained what had happened. His initial response was the same as Phoebe's. "Oh my God."  
  
Phoebe sat down in front of him. "I know, it's a lot to take in, but you need to absorb it fast, and then get Up There and see what your bosses know."  
  
Leo sighed. "Where's Piper?"  
  
"Attic." Paige replied.  
  
He nodded, and orbed out.  
  
-x-  
  
He orbed into the attic, directly behind Piper.  
  
"You're here." she said, startled.  
  
"You sound surprised." he observed. "Piper, they're my kids, too. I'm just as scared as you are. Look, we aren't going to be able to help them if we're busy arguing with each other. We need to be together now."  
  
She nodded, and leaned against him as she flipped through the book.  
  
"There," she said, stopping at a page. "That's the bastard."  
  
Leo looked over her shoulder. "Argus. It doesn't say much about him, except that he's powerful. There's no vanquishing spell here."  
  
"What does he want Peter, Ty, and Cammie for?" Piper asked. "Why would anyone want to hurt three innocent children?"  
  
He put his arms around her, sighing. "I guess he's using them to get to you and your sisters."  
  
She crossed the room to sit down on the couch. He sat next to her, holding her.  
  
"I hate this." she said. "This whole 'Charmed Ones' thing. I've always wanted to resist it, since before Prue died, but now... I don't know if I can do it anymore. We're constantly being attacked, half the time I spend with our kids is devoted to teaching them how to defend themselves, and obviously I'm not doing a very good job of it-"  
  
"You're doing a wonderful job of it." Leo interrupted. "I'm the one who sucks as a parent. You are not the reason that he has them now."  
  
Piper sighed. "I just feel like magic has completely taken over our lives, and it's been this way since before they were born. They hardly even have time to go to the park, or play with their friends. We're raising them as a witch and two whitelighters instead of a little girl and two boys, and it's not fair to them or to us."  
  
"You're right," Leo agreed, "But what are you saying we should do about it?"  
  
Piper stared at the floor, afraid to look at him directly. "I'm saying that something has to give. I'm saying that we need to raise our children in a safe environment where they can be kids. I'm saying.."  
  
She paused. Leo rubbed her shoulder tenderly, encouraging her to go on.  
  
She took a deep breath. "I'm saying we shouldn't do magic anymore." 


	6. 

Leo took a breath, absorbing the bombshell his wife had just dropped.  
  
"Piper, think about this. Magic isn't something you can just give up, not without consequences."  
  
"I have thought about it, Leo." she said. "And as for the consequences, well, if letting my kids have a normal childhood and get to know their father is a consequence, I can sure as hell live with it. Can't you?"  
  
"But this doesn't just affect us." he countered. "It's not just about Peter, Tyler, and Camille, and much as we'd like it to be. It's not even about your sisters, and how they'd feel about disbanding the Charmed Ones. If you do this, it will have serious repercussions for all good magic."  
  
"And if we don't, it will have serious repercussions for our children. It's already tearing our marraige apart. I'm afraid of what's going to happen if we go on like this."  
  
He sighed. She had a point, a good one. "Let's try this," he began, "Right now, we'll concentrate on finding Camille and the boys, and getting rid of Argus. When we've got them back, we'll focus on what to do next."  
  
She nodded. "Okay. Go check with the Elders, see what they know."  
  
He orbed out, leaving her alone. As she left the attic, she picked up a picture off an old nightstand. The photo, taking just after Camille was born, featured her three kids, Peter and Ty sitting on the couch, with their baby sister placed across their laps. As she put the picture down, a single tear rolled down Piper's cheek.  
  
-x-  
  
"Okay, are you sure this is going to work?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Positive." Paige replied. The girls had just finished writing a spell.  
  
"Hey, what's that for?" Piper asked, sitting down on the living room couch between her sisters.  
  
"This will take us to the kids." Paige replied.  
  
"At least, it should." Phoebe chimed in.  
  
"It will." Paige insisted. "We figured scrying would be a waste of time, because he probably anticipated it and took them someplace we can't scry for. This spell will take us directly to them."  
  
"Now we just need a vanquish." Phoebe said.  
  
"There wasn't one in the book." Piper replied. "All it said was that his name is Argus. He usually preys on powerful witches, and he's pretty powerful himself. And that's all she wrote, unfortunately for us."  
  
"Okay, well, we know his name, that's a plus." Phoebe said. "We can write a spell just on that."  
  
Leo orbed in behind them. "No, you can't."  
  
"What do you mean?" Piper asked. "What did They say?"  
  
"They said that over the years he's picked up some pretty extraordinary powers." he answered. "One of them is a mirage. He can trick people into thinking he's anywhere at any time."  
  
"So how do we get to him? The real him, I mean." Paige asked.  
  
"You have to word the spell carefully," he told them. "Draw out the real Argus by targeting the fake ones."  
  
"Okay," Piper said, "So all we have to do is make his mini-me's go away, and then waste whichever one is left?"  
  
Leo nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."  
  
"Allright, then," Phoebe said, getting up. "Paige, come work on the spell with me."  
  
Piper's sisters went into another room, and the couple was left alone.  
  
"You know, if you have to be with a charge or something, go. I'm not stopping you." Piper said with a hint of resentment.  
  
Leo shook his head, and sat down next to her, taking her hand. "I'm staying right here, with you. Baby, I'm not going anywhere." 


	7. 

"We've got the spell," Paige announced.  
  
"That was fast," Leo commented.  
  
"Will it work?" Piper asked.  
  
Phoebe handed her the paper. "What do you think?"  
  
Piper looked it over, then re-read the spell that would take them there. "Okay. Let's do this."  
  
Phoebe and Paige stood in the front of the room. Leo grabbed Piper before she could join them.  
  
"I'll be here when you get back," he said. He kissed her lightly on the lips, then let her go. She took her place next to Phoebe and Paige, and they began the spell.  
  
"Powers low and powers high,  
Bring us to Peter, Cammie, and Ty  
Magic forces, be our guide,  
Take us to our children's side"  
  
Holding each other tightly, the sisters disappeared. The next thing they knew, they were standing inside a damp, dimly-lit cavern. Piper let go of her sisters and ran down a dark passageway.  
  
"Piper, where are you going?" Paige asked, struggling to catch up.  
  
"They're this way. I hear them." Piper called, not bothering to slow down. Soon, she came to a large room. At the other end of it were Peter, Tyler, and Camille.  
  
Piper rushed to undo the rope that was binding them to the wall. "Oh, come here, angels," she said when she'd gotten them all free. They clung to her tightly. Camille was crying.  
  
"It's okay, baby," Piper soothed. She turned to Peter. "Honey, what happened? Did he hurt any of you?"  
  
Peter shook his head. "He tied us up, and then mostly he left us alone. He scared Cammie, though. He was saying all this stuff about how you weren't coming, how you and Daddy don't love us because you don't love each other."  
  
"You know that's not true though, right?" Piper asked.  
  
Peter just looked at the ground and shrugged. "We know you love us."  
  
"I do love you," Piper said, "More than anything. And I love your Daddy, too. Don't ever let the bad people tell you otherwise, okay?"  
  
All three kids nodded, though the boys were somewhat unconvinced. Camille, being the youngest, accepted what her mother said without a thought.  
  
By now, Phoebe and Paige had caught up. Piper started to lead her kids over to their aunts, but Peter stopped her.  
  
"Wait, Mommy. What about the others?"  
  
Piper bent down to be at his level. "What others, sweetheart?"  
  
"The other people Argus has." the boy replied. "They're around here, we saw them. He took them like he took us."  
  
Piper exchanged glances with her sisters.  
  
"Looks like we have some more Innocents to save." Paige said.  
  
"Fine. We'll come back. But I want my kids out of here, now." Piper replied.  
  
There was a sound outside. They all froze.  
  
"Mommy, this way." Tyler whispered, taking off down another passageway.  
  
"Ty, wait!" Piper called. She picked up Camille and ran after him, with Phoebe, Paige, and Peter following. The younger boy led them to another room. This one had a set of stairs to one side.  
  
"Down there," Tyler said. "That's where the others are."  
  
Again the adults exchanged glances.  
  
"Well, we don't really have much of a choice." Phoebe said. Paige nodded her agreement.  
  
"Fine," Piper consented, "But you kids stay by me. Don't run off ahead, okay?"  
  
"We promise, Mommy." Camille said sweetly.  
  
Paige and Phoebe picked up Tyler and Peter, just to make sure. They proceeded down the stairs carefully, making sure to be quiet. At the bottom, they came to a door. Phoebe set Peter down, and in one swift move, kicked it open. Even the Charmed Ones were shocked at what they saw. There was a huge room, bigger than the one the kids had been in. Tied to the walls were at least twenty people. Most of them, Piper recognised from photos on missing-persons reports Darryl had shown her. All of them looked to be unharmed, aside from being chained to a wall.  
  
They were just untying the last Innocent when they heard a noise coming from the top of the stairs. Instructing the kids and the Innocents to stay where they were, the witches went to investigate.  
  
****************  
A/N: Not my best chapter, but if you love me you'll review anyway. Pretty please? 


	8. 

They followed the sound until they were back in the place they'd found the kids. There, they came face-to-face with Argus.  
  
"Well, if it isn't the Charmed Ones," he said mockingly. "So you've found me. I'm impressed. That's more than I can say for the loved ones of those other people down there."  
  
"Shut up." Piper said. "Just shut up. Do you have any idea what it's like, to know that people you love more than anything else are being held captive by something as horrible and soulless as you? I only had to deal with it for a few hours. What about the families of those other people, who've been living with it for weeks, maybe longer? You know, just forget it. Why am I bothering? You're evil. You don't care who you hurt or why. Let's just get this over with."  
  
Argus smiled an evil, menacing grin. Suddenly, the room was filled with hundreds of copies of him, each completely identical to the original.  
  
"Just say the spell," Piper ordered her sisters.  
  
"Your Xerox games are getting old,  
  
And so your magic will unfold,  
  
Carbon copies disappear  
  
And leave one Argus standing here."  
  
The copies all disappeared with a pop, and one remained. "Go ahead," he dared. "Finish me."  
  
"He's taunting us," Paige observed. "Pretty cocky for someone who's about to get dead."  
  
"He's just trying to throw us off," Phoebe replied. "Don't let him."  
  
Her sisters nodded and started the chant that would vanquish him.  
  
"Argus with your evil ways,  
  
We set you and your powers ablaze,  
  
We'll free your captives from your den,  
  
And you'll never hurt anyone again."  
  
In an instant, Argus was consumed by a self-contained fire. Without standing around to watch, the Charmed Ones ran downstairs to where the kids were hiding with the others.  
  
"Mommy!" Camille called, running into Piper's arms.  
  
"Hi, sweetheart," Piper said, picking her up. "Where are your brothers?"  
  
"Peter, Ty, where are you?" Camille called.  
  
Peter came into view from among a group of other innocents, and a second later, Tyler was behind him.  
  
"We're right here, Cammie," Peter said, rushing over to his sister. Then he saw his mother. "Mommy, are we going home now?"  
  
Piper nodded. "I hope so, baby."  
  
"Come on, let's get everyone out of here," Phoebe said. She, Piper, and Paige began leading the innocents up the stairs that led to the main floor of the tavern. They were stopped halfway up, however, by Argus blinking in front of them.  
  
"Okay, everybody go back down!" Paige yelled. Piper put Camille down and sent her back down the stairs, along with everyone else. Then they turned to Argus.  
  
"How the hell are you still alive?" Piper demanded.  
  
Argus smiled. "Silly witches. You killed my decoy."  
  
"What do we do?" Phoebe whispered.  
  
"Try making the spell more specific," Piper replied, as again the place was filled with mini-Arguses. "Just follow my lead," she told her sisters. She began chanting.  
  
"Your Xerox games are getting old,  
  
And so your magic will unfold,  
  
Carbon copies disappear  
  
And leave the one real Argus standing here."  
  
Again, the clones vanished, but this time they were sure that they had their warlock.  
  
"Hurry up, say the other spell," Paige urged.  
  
"Argus with your evil ways,  
  
We set you and your powers ablaze,  
  
We'll free your captives from your den,  
  
And you'll never hurt anyone again."  
  
The effect this had on the real Argus was even more spectacular than the effect it had had on the clone. The Charmed Ones watched with satisfaction as he disappeared in a burst of flames. They stood for a while, savoring their victory, then finally set the innocents free.  
  
****************  
  
A/N: Sorry the update took so long, but my disk kindof ate most of this chapter, so I had to retype it from memory. It's not as good as the original, but hopefully it doesn't completely suck. Right??? 


	9. Conclusion

It was the day after Argus' vanquish. All the Innocents had been safely returned home, thanks to Leo's and Paige's orbing powers. Most importantly, the kids were safe.  
  
Piper sat down on the porch, next to her sisters. They were watching Leo play with Peter and Ty. Camille was sitting on Paige's lap, brushing her doll's hair. They looked like a normal, happy family.  
  
Leo caught Piper's eye and, telling the boys to play by themselves for a while, went over to her. "You want to take a walk?" he offered.  
  
Piper nodded. Leaving the kids with Phoebe and Paige, she and Leo set off down the street.  
  
"I've been thinking about what you said yesterday, in the attic." he told her.  
  
"I have, too." she replied.  
  
"And?" he asked.  
  
"And, I just don't know."  
  
He sighed, and they continued on in silence.  
  
"What have you been thinking?" she asked suddenly.  
  
"I've been thinking that we can make this work," he responded. "I've asked the Elders to reassign some of my charges. I'll be working a lot less now, and I'll have more time to spend with you and the kids. We can cut down on the amount of time we spend teaching them the craft, if you want. They've got plenty of time to learn. Right now, the most important thing is our family. I'll do anything to keep from losing you."  
  
She slipped her hand into his, and they turned back.  
  
"What happened?" Paige asked as Piper rejoined her sisters. "What did he say?"  
  
"Don't worry," she said, smiling. "I think we're going to be okay."  
  
****************  
  
A/N: This is the last chapter, so yeah. Whoot. I finished another fic. Now go review. Pretty please? 


End file.
